2 Corinthians 7:1 Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
I Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
About this time last year, I had the bright idea to ask my husband if I could pressure wash the back deck. It was turning gray and there was a lot of mildew here and there. I thought we better clean it up before the wood started to decay. I didn’t think that thought through fully because, of course, after you pressure wash all the deck, you then must pressure wash all the railing around the deck…and then around the entire house…and then the porches…and you can’t forget the sidewalks. But finally, after the grime and wear of the last 2-3 years had been washed away, we carefully applied a new stain sealer to all of the wood, and suddenly, it looked brand new. After much hard work and a few wayward splinters, I was able to say, “wow, that hard work really paid off!” It can be a very tedious task taking care of the physical aspects of our home, but if we want to keep living here and enjoying this piece of paradise that God gave us, it’s something that we must do.
Now, what about our physical bodies? Yea, you knew the nurse practitioner in me had to go there. We take care of our homes because we live inside them, but what about the body? Well, that’s even more important. The Holy Spirit resides inside of each and everyone of us if we have been saved by faith. Our bodies are temples in which the Holy Spirit lives so shouldn’t we make a concerted effort to take care of the Holy Spirit’s home? Sure we do, but how? We have to take care of ourselves physically & spiritually. We need to get a good nights sleep so that we are refreshed and ready to take on the day. We need to eat a healthy diet so that we have energy to do the tasks at hand. We need regular exercise to keep our bodies strong and ready to go into action. We have to continue to grow in the word to keep our minds sharp and focused on Christ. And we must strive daily to live for Christ.
This sounds like I’m just trying to throw in a medical lecture here, but what I am saying is so very true. If we aren’t taking care of our bodies, the living temple of the Holy Spirit, how in the world can we expect to be able to do the job that is set before us? If we want to keep living for Christ, we must take care of the physical body as well as the spiritual. I love our little home and our little piece of paradise that God has given us for now, but this is not my eternal home. Even so I want to take care of it while I live here. And I want to take care of myself so that I can continue to do the Lord’s work and His will. Physical health is very important! Take care of yourself! And when you see Christ using you for His glory and our good, you will say, “wow, that hard work is paying off.” We aren’t finished yet, but we’ll get there. Take care of yourself physically and spiritually each and every day.
Inspirations from the Funny Farm 